A former gangster and bank robber who turned into a nightclub owner and opposition politician, Gayton McKenzie has now risen to become South Africa's minister of sports, arts and culture.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Mr McKenzie - the leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) - to the portfolio in the multi-party government that he announced on Sunday after his African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority in the 29 May election.
A prolific tweeter, the 50-year-old relished his appointment, posting a photo of himself putting on football boots and, with a touch of humour, typed: "Thank you for all the well wishing messages, I will reply shortly I’m just busy getting ready, I have work to do 🥅 ⚽."
For Mr McKenzie's admirers, his appointment is the latest sign of how he overcame adversity to achieve success. He robbed his first bank before he turned 16, then became, as he put in an interview with a local radio station, a fully fledged gangster, spent seven years in prison, and vowed to change after his release.
"I might have had 12 rand in my pocket but I had billion rand in my mind. And that is what people do not understand - they concentrate on what they lack instead of how to get what they lack," he said in a 2013 interview with public broadcaster SABC.
He became a highly paid motivational speaker, got books about his life published, including A Hustler's Bible, and ventured into various businesses - from mining in Zimbabwe to nightclubs in South Africa - with Kenny Kunene, his soulmate from prison.
Source: BBC
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